Whew what a week!
After a series of delays and issues with container transport, we managed to finally get on the water for a few days of training before the start of the Europeans. Our first container unload went very smoothly, everything arrived just as we had packed it back in Oyster Bay in July. A quick unload and soon our Baby was rigged up and ready to go. Huge shoutout to our fellow Oyster Bay 470 teammates for making the process go so well -- many hands make light work!
Gearing up for the event we were feeling fast. The first few days of the regatta were looking like they would be breezy. We were buzzing. We loaded up on the kebabs and Turkish delight. The first two days of the event brought great breeze, around 18-24 kts from the North. Despite some bouts of "Turkey belly", we managed to string along some decent results. It was satisfying to see the progress we had made in our heavy air fitness and overall speed since last racing in heavy wind in the Spring. While it wasn't our best conditions, we managed to end the first two days of the event having qualified into Gold fleet and sitting in 24th place.
The forecast for the final series looked completely different compared to qualifying. Light and variable winds, and for the final two days of finals -- an offshore breeze -- a college sailor's dream! We loved being able to showcase some of our strengths in the shiftier conditions and put up some good results in gold fleet. We had been winning a very light wind race by a good margin when the race committee decided to abandon the race on the final upwind. Had we been able to keep that race, we would have likely made it into the medal race (top 10), but alas. We finished up the regatta strong with a 4th place finish in the final race -- bringing us to 13th place finish.
To see the full results click here.
Overall, we are very happy with our performance at the Europeans. Our results prove that our hard work during these past few months is paying off, and while we have a long way to go, we are making progress. We excited to carry this momentum of growth towards the World Championships in Sdot Yam, Israel in October and get another shot at competing with the world's best in the 470. After the Europeans ended, we packed up a container and shipped it off towards Israel. Fingers crossed we don't experience any delays with our container arrival date this time! We owe a massive thanks to our coach Yevgeniy Burmatnov and the Windmark Sailing Foundation for helping us get to where we are today. We are proud to be a part of the Oyster Bay 470 team and are excited about the progress that the 470 class is making in the United States.
Hurricane update: Before flying out to Israel on October 5th to prepare for the worlds, Trevor and I returned home to Florida for some recovery time. Unfortunately we were met by incoming hurricane Ian, a category 4 hurricane which brought about catastrophic winds and flooding to Florida's west coast. The storm was forecasted to run straight through my hometown, Sarasota, and so the first few days being home were spent helping my parents prep for the storm. Lucky for us, the storm shifted south and we were able to make it out with minimal damage. While sailing is obviously the main focus at the moment, I am grateful to have been able to return home in time to help hurricane prep our home. While we chase our dream, real life continues and this is an important reminder to not take anything for granted. Thoughts and prayers to those suffering from the hurricane's destruction.
